Men's Basketball | 12/19/2014 11:16:00 PM

NJIT Men's Basketball Gameday Information

Game 12	NJIT (4-7) at Central Connecticut (2-7)
Date | Time	Saturday, December 20, 2014 | 7pm
Location | Arena	New Britain, CT | Detrick Gymnasium
Game Notes	NJIT Notes | CCSU Notes
Live Video	NEC Front Row
Live Radio	Highlanders Sports Network w/ Matt Provence
Live Stats	In-Game Live Stats

NEW BRITAIN, CT--NJIT continues its late November to late December stretch of the schedule that finds the Highlanders playing 9 out of 10 games on the road. For the second game in a row, NJIT will visit a Northeast Conference team that started slowly, but appears to be heating up as the NEC schedule approaches. Central Connecticut has won its last two decisively after an 0-7 start.
 
Last Sunday, the Highlanders visited LIU Brooklyn, which had lost its first six games, but got into the wins column with an 83-70 victory at Maine the game before hosting NJIT. The Blackbirds, who led NJIT at the half by one, 32-31, dominated the second half for a 65-49 final.
 
This challenging stretch for NJIT began on November 24 at Marquette (62-57, Marquette) and continues with two more road contests after the game at CCSU. On Tuesday, NJIT will visit #7 Villanova for a national TV game on FOX Sports 1 and then the Highlanders will take on 7-2 Lafayette in Easton, PA, on Sunday, December 28.
 
Any discussion of Central Connecticut basketball has to begin with the head coach, Howie Dickenman, who is in his 19th year at the helm of the school where he earned a bachelor's degree in 1970 and a master's degree in 1975. As a player for the Blue Devils, he was the first in school history to compile more than 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in a career..
 
He served as an assistant coach at UConn from 1982 until taking over at CCSU in 1996. In his time with the Huskies, Dickenman played a critical role in UConn's rise to being one of college basketball's marquee programs. As head coach of the Central Blue Devils, he has 275 career wins.
 
Taking over at CCSU, which was struggling prior to his return, he has developed a consistent winner playing in the Northeast Conference. In 2001-02, the team was 19-1 in the NEC and won 27 games overall. They have reached the NEC title game five times, winning three to get into the NCAAs (last in 2007).
 
Three Blue Devils are averaging double-figure scoring, led by Matt Mobley's 17.6 ppg. Faronte Drakeford (10.9 ppg) and Khalen Cumberlander (10.8 ppg) are the other two. Mobley and Cumberlander are 6-foot-3 sophomores and Drakeford is a 6-7 senior. … Brandon Peel (9.4 rpg) is the big Blue Devil under the backboards. He's a 6-foot-7 junior. Drakeford adds 6.1 rpg.
 
In last year's first meeting between the programs (Nov. 26 at NJIT), Central got its first win of the season, holding off the Highlanders, 74-71. Down 12 with 1:49 left, NJIT staged a furious rally that came up just short when a last-second 3-point try came off the back rim as the buzzer sounded. … Kyle Vinales scored a game-high 29, including 13 at the foul line over the last 5:01 to help the winners hold on. … Damon Lynn (18 pts) topped NJIT and was huge in the rally with four 3-pointers in the final 74 seconds.
 
NJIT, which figures to benefit from having nearly a week between the LIU Brooklyn and Central Connecticut games after playing four games in eight games ahead of the visit to LIU, looks to guards Damon Lynn (17.6 ppg) and Ky Howard (13.3 ppg) as its main scorers. Winfield Willis chips in 9.8 ppg.
 
Howard, one of the most versatile guards in Division I, is the team rebounding leader (6.5 rpg), as well as the top assists man (41). He is making nearly 60 percent of his shots from the floor (46-77) and is also making 77 percent of his foul shots (48-62).
 
Although they are occasionally on the floor together, seniors Daquan Holiday and Odera Nweke frequently alternate in the low post. Combined they average about 36 minutes per game. They also combine to shoot 36-for-69 (52 pct) from the field and combine for 28 blocks in 11 games, while getting a combined 7.6 rebounds per game.
 
Matt Provence will have the live streaming audio play by play call on www.njithighlanders.com.